


Breathless

by ticktockclockwork



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Drag Queens, Drag!Jack, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Shop Owner Bitty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 10:11:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11895519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ticktockclockwork/pseuds/ticktockclockwork
Summary: They were only supposed to go out for coffee. But instead Bitty was in a smoky club listening to the most beautiful voice he's ever heard sing one of his favorite songs. Can he resist the sirens call? And can Jack resist that beautiful man he sees from stage?





	Breathless

It was only supposed to be coffee. His friends were taking him out for coffee, showing him the town, his new home. But coffee turned into a drink and a drink turned into a club and now Bitty was sat beside Lardo and Ford feeling mildly uncomfortable as their third wheel. He loved these women something fierce but tagging along for what felt like date night was not his ideal evening, no matter how much Ford hyped the performer.

“She’s stunning, Bits. Like, ugh, beautiful. And her singing is so divine you’ll want to die.” Ford gushed, swinging her hand a bit and sloshing some cranberry and vodka onto the sleeve of her cocktail dress.

“Just die.” Lardo echoed from his other side. They’d insisted on dressing up and at the time, when it had just been ‘coffee’ Bitty had been confused but it made a bit more sense now that their ulterior motives were clear. They’d been insisting that he get out more, that he’d lived in the city three months and his store was doing great so he owed it to himself to relax a little and see the town. Chicago wasn’t exactly the midnight menagerie of New York but it did well for itself, well enough that Ford was killing it in a knee length emerald dress with a plunging back and Lardo had on a perfectly cut white blouse tucked into high waisted loose pants making her look taller than she really was. Her hair was slicked back and the only makeup she was sporting was her girlfriend’s lipstick on her lower jaw.

Bitty, for his part, didn’t look too bad either. He’d gone for the black on black on black look with a black button up, a black vest, and slim black pants. Lardo had tucked a silver pocket watch into his pants pocket, clipping it’s chain to his vest for what she was calling 'pizazz'. His hair was slicked back too, accenting the sharp edges of his new undercut.

He looked good and as a trio they looked dynamite but he was still nervous. This was out of his element, a new experience in a new city, and he didn’t know what to expect. “And you said this was, uh, a drag show?” He asked quietly from their little table, lifting up his own martini to sip at. It was pink when he got it but looked red in the lighting near the stage.

“It’s a show, featuring a drag queen, but it’s not a drag show.” Lardo clarified, leaning on Ford’s shoulder to reach around for her drink. “Relax. We know that you’re not comfortable with the whole… big and loud stuff. I promise you’re going to like this.” She touched his cheek and he smiled just a little, sitting back and trying to trust what she was saying.

Having grown up in the deep South, coming to terms with his sexuality had been a slow struggle. When he’d finally left at eighteen, he immediately moved to New York, dreaming of new awakenings, and love filled adventures. What he got instead was a year of living near poverty and a string of unsatisfying tristes that he was never entirely comfortable with. Now, nearly ten years later, he’d figured himself out to the best of his abilities and had a life he was proud to call his own. He’d gone from New York to San Francisco, San Francisco to Chicago, opening a small eclectic shop that was half record store, half cafe. He curated his record collection with a decent mix of classic and vintage records, as well as a plethora of bluesy country singers and, what really made him money, new bands and movie soundtracks. With the revival of vinyl came the desire to listen to new music in an old way, and he found himself ordering more stock of Coldplay and Daft Punk than he did anything else. He couldn’t complain; his willingness to stock both old and new without any judgement meant he got hardcore collectors and curious hipsters, all buying from his quiet hole in the wall shop. His profits helped him cover rent and then some and for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t simply scraping by.

He was still going to nurse this martini however.

As he took his second sip, the lights started to dim, while one over the stage started to rise. It illuminated the large grand piano where a man had come out to sit, his smile soft, sleepy almost. Ford tipped over towards Bitty, her hand over her chest. “That’s Derek Nurse. He’s phenomenal on the piano.” Bitty looked the man over, from his dark eyes to his deep copper jacket with black satin lapels. “Sometimes he sings with his crooner boyfriend Justin.” She pointed to the other side of the club where a very tall man was chatting with the bartender, whom Bitty had met earlier named Shitty. Justin was laughing and Bitty could tell just by the reaction of the guests around him that his voice was like butter.

“Good evening, my beautiful cats.” Derek’s voice sent a shiver down Bitty’s spine and both Ford and Lardo gave him knowing looks. “Tonight we have a special guest. You know her well, the velvet voiced siren from the great white North. It is my honor to introduce to you… Jacqueline Zee.”

The red curtain was drawn behind Derek and as he started playing, the lights moved to illuminate the silhouette of a beautiful woman with her back to the stage. She was tall, legs for miles, and Bitty felt himself sitting up. She had on a long sequin gown, black, with a cinched waist. Bitty could tell she had a broader figure, the dress doing nothing to hide that amazing physique, but when she turned she was all curves and soft edges. The cut off her jaw was lost to the smooth makeup, the contouring bringing Bitty’s gaze from her lips to her startling blue eyes.

She was old Hollywood glamor with her long wavy pinned hair and almost airbrushed makeup, her sparkling dress resting just off her shoulders. She moved over to the piano, smiled a small smile for Derek, then began to sing.

And oh, oh, oh. Bitty, a man who made a living off of music, of knowing music and listening to music and loving music, oh he absolutely swooned. The voice was rich and hit him straight in the chest. He stared, because he could do nothing else, as she sang and sang, easily blending from one song to the next. She wasn’t an exuberant performer, demure and quiet in her body language, but she enraptured the crowd, stealing the air from everyone’s lungs.

Bitty was not a stranger to live performances. He'd been to more concerts than he could count, traveling to see big name artists on tour, as well as small up-and comers that were getting their start in clubs just like this. He'd been enthralled many times, bored equally as much, but never had he felt what he felt right now for anyone up on stage. Bitty felt the music go through him. Anything else around him blurred out to a buzz in his peripherals and instead he watched Jacqueline with his full attention. As she moved around the piano to sit next to Derek at one point, as she relaxed back against the body of the piano, exposing those incredible legs - those thighs! Bitty felt like he might faint. And each time it felt like he was slipping just a little he'd look up and see Jacqueline staring right at him, singing right _at_ him. 

Without Bitty even noticing, she was on her last song. “I want to thank you all for coming out tonight.” Bitty could hear an accent to her voice, nothing like his own, foreign without sounding unfamiliar. “It warms my heart more than you can know to see so many people come out to hear me sing. So I’m going to finish with one of my favorite song for you all tonight, as my gift for such a wonderful audience.” The applause was loud and appreciative but it fell quiet again as Derek started playing once more.

And Bitty knew this song.

And he immediately felt his throat tighten, his eyes grow wet.

For this was his favorite song as well.

“You’re in my arms, and all the world is gone…” it was different with only a piano, but it felt more real, more raw and Bitty couldn’t stop himself from pressing his hand to his chest to feel his wildly fluttering heart. Derek was humming, harmonizing to help boost the melody and Bitty felt overtaken by what he was hearing. “The music playing, on for only two, so close together, and when I’m with you. So close to feeling… alive.”

He closed his eyes for the rest of the song, feeling it, allowing it to wash over him and it wasn’t until the closing notes were played that he looked back up, meeting Jacqueline’s eyes as she stared right at him. He blinked and swallowed and then it was over and she was turning away, bowing to the audience and laughing at the applause. He watched her leave the stage, watched her murmur something to the redheaded stagehand who then looked at Bitty and nodded before ducking away. He met her gaze one last time before she disappeared and he could breathe again.

“Holy shit.” He whispered and both Ford and Lardo laughed, leaning in to hug him around the shoulder and waist, nodding along with him.

“Told you so.” It was Ford, looking so pleased with herself. “Wasn’t that wonderful?”

Bitty blinked and looked to the others and with a breathless laugh he murmured “I think I’m in love.”

They ordered another round of drinks and Bitty got to meet the pianist Derek as well as his boyfriend Justin, who Bitty came to find out owned the club. The company was good and Bitty peppered both of the gentlemen with tons of questions but he couldn’t help feeling his attention divided, half on the conversation and company around him, half somewhere backstage wondering where the Siren of Chicago had gotten off to.

He didn’t have to wonder long. They were approached, a half hour later, by the red headed stagehand looking busy but not unkind. He was dressed in the predictable outfits known to all stagehands - black long sleeved shirt over black pants - and his name tag read Dex. “Excuse me.” He spoke up, touching Bitty’s elbow to get his attention. “If you’re interested, Jack was hoping to meet you, backstage.”

Bitty just stared at him for a moment. “Me?”

Dex looked down to his clipboard and nodded. “I presume so. You’re the only ‘blond bombshell dressed in all black’ that I see here tonight so I’m assuming that means you.” Dex grinned and Bitty flushed harder than ever before stammering for a moment then snapping his mouth closed and nodding. He threw one last dazed look to Lardo and Ford as he followed Dex to the back, the girls clapping and silently cheering him on as he went.

Backstage was smaller than he expected, filled with piles of equipment, the familiar and oddly comforting smell of old wood and fabric clinging to everything. They wove through some small side rooms before coming down a darker corridor lined with dressing rooms. Most were dark or filled with extra stage equipment but the one they stopped in front of was clearly the main dressing room for the entertainment, the lights on, music playing within. Dex knocked on the slightly open door, poking his head in. “Hey Jack? I found your southern belle.” Bitty felt his face flush more and would feel mortified if he wasn’t so excited. He stepped through the door when Dex pushed it open and didn’t miss the way that it was closed meaningfully behind him.

He was expecting to see Jacqueline, but the costume had been doffed. He could see the sequin dress tossed over the back of a chair, pooling over the heels that had made those legs look extra long. There were some boxes on the table that looked like they were made for wigs and amongst the catastrophe that was the vanity, he could see the other bits and pieces to the ensemble.

“Sorry about Dex. He was raised in a barn. Or maybe a lobster cage.” The voice he heard was deeper than the other, a bit more relaxed. When he looked over he saw a man come out from the side washroom, a towel around his neck from where he’d washed off his makeup. He was still tall, and still broad, but his body was more angular without the padding and the makeup, showing off the physique of a man who was once, or perhaps was still, very active. His hair was as dark as the wig had been but cropped short with just a few floppy bits falling into his eyes over his brow. His eyes were just as blue as on stage but the downturn to them was no longer hidden by makeup, no longer adjusted by the careful craft of the brush.

His smile though. Oh well, Bitty thought he would be able to recognize that anywhere, whether coated in lipstick or bare as it was now. It was small, almost unsure, and Bitty wondered if smiling was a rare occurrence for this man. Or maybe he was just nervous in the same way Bitty was right now, nervous to be meeting him too.

“I’m Jack.” He introduced, stepping forward and offering his hand. Bitty shook it but still didn’t say anything. “I uhm… I saw you in the crowd? And you looked so… well… yeah. And so, I thought maybe… I’d invite you back here? I’m sorry if that was presumptuous and if you’d rather go back to your friends…”

“You took my breath away.” Bitty had opened his mouth to speak and though this wasn’t what he’d intended to say, it was what ended up coming out.

Jack seemed just as surprised at the words as he was. “Excuse me?”

Could he really take back what he’d said? Did he really want to? “You… you took my breath away. So Close is one of my favorite songs, and believe me when I say I know a lot of them. And I’ve never heard it covered like you did. I think you made everyone in the audience feel like that song was especially for them… like it was a dance between them, and you.”

Jack’s cheeks were flushed at the high praise and he looked down, nearly bashful, mumbling something that Bitty didn’t quite catch.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t-”

Jack looked up and spoke louder. “I was only singing it to one person… I only wanted it to be a dance between me.. and you.”

Bitty swallowed hard and watched as Jack stepped closer. “You don’t even know me…” he whispered as Jack took his hand so slowly in his own.

“I feel like I did, out there. Like I do a little bit right now…”

“You don’t even know my name…” Jack was leaning in a little closer.

“I’d like to, if you’d do me the honor.” He slid his arm around Bitty’s waist.

Bitty whimpered. “Eric. My name is Eric.”

Feeling his name breathed out across his lips just before it was sealed with a kiss was a feeling Bitty would not soon forget. He eased up on his tiptoes, his fingers curling into the soft shirt Jack had changed into. He pressed the kiss, tilting his face to bring them closer together, and he melted just a little more as Jack held him tighter and tighter.

When they broke apart they were both out of breath. Bitty felt like his heart was trying to break free of his chest and part of him was willing to let it go if it meant Jack was the one to catch it. “It’s nice to meet you.” He whispered against Jack’s lips and felt a huff of a laugh returned.

“You too. So nice.”

“I’ve never done this before…”

“Me either. Is that okay?”

“Yes, god yes.” Bitty pressed up to catch his lips again, causing Jack to stumble back as he caught the other man in his embrace again. They stumble-walked to the chaise lounge and Bitty felt himself being laid back, Jack crawling on top of him. There was passion and fire but no desperation, just a desire to be close, to know each other as they had when Jack was singing, intrinsically, without words.

Jack had Bitty’s vest undone and his hair a mess when there was a knock at the dressing room door. “Jack?” It was Justin, calling from the other side of the wood. “Do you have-” he turned away and spoke to someone else for a brief moment. “Do you have Bitty in there with you? His friends are looking for him.”

Jack looked down to him with a raised brow. “Bitty?” He was amused and Bitty couldn’t stop himself from leaning up to kiss that smile off his face.

“Hush you.” He buried his face into Jack’s collar and nipped lightly.

“Ah- uhm, yes. He’ll be right out!” Jack called back, sitting up slowly to give Bitty room to move.

He didn’t, though, remaining where he was, laid out and debauched beneath Jack, happy when the man above him reached down to run a hand up his torso as if he couldn’t help himself. “I want to see you again.” Jack murmured, touching his collar, his throat, his cheek. “Can I… can I call you?”

Bitty laughed because the idea of him denying this man was absurd. “Lord, yes, please. I want to, I want to see you too. A lot.” He flushed at the admission but it earned him another slow, languid kiss.

Eventually they untangled and Jack wrote out his number on a napkin which Bitty felt endlessly amused by. Jack pulled him forward at the waist and tucked the napkin into his vest pocket before leaning down for another kiss. “Think of me tonight…” he breathed.

“How could I not?” Bitty whispered with one last kiss before he was slipping from the room and heading back to the main club. He was a mess, he knew it, his hair all out of shape and his clothes halfway to off. But he’d just walked through a dream and he had a number in his pocket which he knew he’d be calling as soon as he was alone.

And even as he returned to the music filled club, even as his friend’s loud cheers and applause smothered the rest, he could still hear Jack’s voice singing in his mind.

_So close, so close…._

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where the bug for this came from but it crept up at 9pm and three hours later had written itself out. Jack in drag is an idea I've been playing with for awhile. I like the idea that an alterego allows him to be vulnerable in ways his anxiety or his reputation normally doesn't. On stage he can express the things because it's not him doing it... It's Jacqueline. And the art of donning that costume and that persona is therapeutic for him.
> 
> I don't know. What I do know is I had a blast writing everyone in fancy dress and finding a song for Jack to sing. [This](https://youtu.be/pP4UsjPF8io) is the song melody he sings, all piano and Derek harmonizing. The original has more drums and violin.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Come shout at me about these silly boys on Tumblr @ [ticktockclockwork](https://www.ticktockclockwork.tumblr.com)


End file.
